Article in New Rolling Stone
llad -- Sat, 06/07/2008 - 13:14
The latest issue of Rolling Stone (issue 1054) has an article on the resurgence of vinyl and turntable sales. This is nothing new for the members of AVguide forums, but the comments by Bob Ludwig on vinyl vs. CD sound are interesting.
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1999 - 2011 NextScreen. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
Sounds like the same article I wrote for SPIN a few years ago...
Mainstream music editors act as if they've just re-discovered the wheel when they pitch this story, "These kids, they're actually listening to and BUYING records!"
Be still my beating heart.... :roll:
Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications
The article notes artists' preference for releasing on vinyl. It alludes to 'warmer sound' but doesn't say much about that.
BTW, you can read the short piece here:
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/20947918/vinyl_returns_in_the_age...
Thanks discman for posting the article, and thanks Tim for posting it in a few other threads. You can't expect an in depth article on this from a mass market publication like Rolling Stone. The fact that they acknowledge the resurgence in vinyl and that some artists like analog better than digital is all one can expect. More would just bore the hell out of their general readership.
Steve, great to see you and read your reviews again. When I was starting out on the audiophile adventure I used to use many of your equipment reviews as the basis for my auditions. In reading your articles I found we had a lot in common in what was considered good musical reproduction in the home.
I posted this on a companion thread on this forum:
I've seen similar articles on vinyl appearing in the mainstream press recently. Instead of adopting a "look what these kooks are doing" perspective as in years past, they are actually speaking to the sonic merits of vinyl vs. other media.
It helps that a number of young people are jumping on the vinyl bandwagon, and that so many artists hear the difference. One senior record company exec I know says he uses the prospect of a vinyl release to attract (and retain) artists.
It would be interesting to compile a list of recording artists/groups who are vinyl advocates. I bet people would be surprised at how big the list is. Here's a start just from the link you provided;
- Neil Young,
- Elvis Costello
- The Raconteurs,
- The Doors' Ray Manszurek
- Radiohead
- Trent Resnor/Nine Inch Nails
- Ryan Adams
- Bruce Springsteen
Plus a few other obvious candidates:
- James Taylor
- ZZ Top
- JJ Cale
- Eric Clapton
- ???
In all fairness, I don't think articles in the mainstream have addresses vinyl lovers as "kooks" for many years. This isn't the first time RS has published a piece like this and major newspapers have also been reporting on this for years.
There are certain artists that are so-called "vinyl advocates," yes, and the music section pages of TAS have noted the presence of such folks in reviews for years. But there's something bigger to consider here, and it's not the artist but the label. Record labels are usually behind vinyl, not artists, save for a few exceptions. For instance, I've never seen Eric Clapton advocate on behalf of vinyl, or sound, for that matter. WB is behind that and many of the artists listed on this post. Also keep in mind that, like WB, most other labels are desperate for revenue sources. So sound-loving listeners are in effect a beneficiary of the continuing downhill slide in music revenue.
Bob Gendron
Music Editor, TAS and Playback
Bob, it's also an acknowledgment of the fact that there are still people out there who prefer to buy physical items rather than donwnloads.
Sure, it is such an acknowledgment; I don't think I said otherwise. My point was primarily to say not to overlook the other factors involved with the sudden interest of the majors in vinyl--the same labels that did everything to kill it 20 years ago.
Bob Gendron
Music Editor, TAS and Playback
Sure, it is such an acknowledgment; I don't think I said otherwise. My point was primarily to say not to overlook the other factors involved with the sudden interest of the majors in vinyl--the same labels that did everything to kill it 20 years ago.
Bob Gendron
Music Editor, TAS and Playback
NBC affiliate in L.A. did a piece last night on the local news about the resurgence in vinyl. Quoted percentage increase in vinyl sales and decrease in CD sales. If the record labels are behind this, it's terrific. A whole new generation will discover the pleasure of holding an album cover in their hands with liner notes that can actually be read and the ritual of putting a record on.